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Venezuelan Culture

Have you ever wondered where it all started? Bachaqueo, I mean – standing in line waiting to purchase price-controlled products in order to resell them in the black market. As I learned on my recent trip to Maracaibo, local lore has it that after gasoline smuggling had become a common reality in this border state, bachaqueo was born in a…

Many would say there is clash between Caraqueños – Venezuelans born in Caracas – and Maracuchos or Marabinos –Venezuelans born in Maracaibo; e.g. Pablo Pérez and Juan Cristóbal Nagel. But I could only speak from the Caraqueño side of the quarrel. Until now that is. I spent a weekend in Maracaibo and this was my first contact…

For a change of pace, I’ve decided to use my column at Foreign Policy’s Transitions blog to focus on the people, on the Venezuelans that are making a difference, surviving, and suffering. My goal is to focus on a different character in each column. This is not easy for somebody used to writing about politics and economics,…

Over the last few years, Father Alejandro Moreno has established himself as an authority on the topic of Venezuela’s crime epidemic. For years, he has toiled in Venezuela’s toughest neighborhoods. This has given him an insider’s look at what makes these criminals tick. This interview of the father by the Venezuelan news outlet Contrapunto is astonishing.…

“Venezuela is the only country in the world where street vendors sell you both a copy of the Transit Law … and a nice, cold beer.” Laureano Márquez’s riff began what was a major theme in the discussions we held in Austin about our country – about Venezuela being a land of confusion, a country…

Venezuela has fifteen official holidays, not counting the rest of Holy Week (only Thursday and Friday are official holidays). On top of this, Venezuelans spend countless hours outside of work – either in traffic, or standing in line waiting to buy stuff. This is just too much. One of the things any sensible government will need…

Some of you know that I live in a house as the sole male surrounded by four wonderful ladies. Yet as a man happily subdued, I have been trained to see sexism everywhere I turn. Sometimes I see sexism even in places where nobody else sees it, which makes me extra cautious about making a comment. But this…